2025-09-13T10:17:02Z
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During the past week, an unexpected shift took place in the constantly scrutinized global wealth rankings: Larry Ellison, the cofounder and current chairman of Oracle, briefly surpassed Elon Musk, the high-profile entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, to claim the title of the wealthiest individual in the world. This sudden change in fortune was precipitated by a substantial surge in the value of Oracle’s stock, which momentarily propelled Ellison to the number one position. However, his time at the very top was fleeting. Within hours, a modest decline in Oracle’s share price allowed Musk to swiftly reclaim his standing as the richest man alive.
Much like Elon Musk, Ellison is not merely focused on technology and business but has also become widely recognized as a significant political donor. In fact, Ellison’s participation in political funding efforts predated Musk’s involvement by decades, cementing his role as a long-standing actor in the often intertwined worlds of finance, technology, and political influence. Despite maintaining close personal and professional ties with former President Donald Trump, official public records maintained by the Federal Election Commission indicate that Ellison has never made a direct, formally recorded contribution to Trump’s personal campaign committees or associated entities. Nevertheless, his connection to Trump was evident in 2020, when Ellison hosted a high-profile Trump fundraiser at one of his properties. Interestingly, Ellison later insisted that he himself did not attend the gathering, underscoring a measure of distance. Still, when it comes to expenditures on other prominent Republican politicians, Ellison has been remarkably generous.
Among all those to benefit from Ellison’s financial largesse, few have received more substantial resources than Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. Scott, who has openly described Ellison as a trusted mentor, has been the clear frontrunner in terms of receiving Ellison’s support. Between 2020 and 2023, Ellison directed over $35 million into the Opportunity Matters Fund, a super PAC aligned with Scott. When Scott declared his candidacy for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, Ellison went beyond writing checks and made his presence known at Scott’s official campaign launch in South Carolina in 2023. Scott, evidently appreciative of this backing, publicly acknowledged Ellison at the event, explicitly referring to him as a guiding influence in his political journey.
Another key figure to benefit from Ellison’s readiness to support Republicans financially has been Marco Rubio. Before becoming Secretary of State, Rubio was a young senator representing Florida with presidential aspirations. During the contentious 2016 presidential election cycle, Ellison gave a substantial $5 million donation to Conservative Solutions PAC, an entity that existed specifically to bolster Rubio’s bid for the White House. Beyond financial contributions, reports suggest Ellison also hosted a private fundraiser for Rubio at his lavish estate in Woodside, located in California’s affluent San Francisco Bay Area, in May 2015.
Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts who later represented Utah in the United States Senate, has also been the recipient of support from Ellison. During Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, Ellison contributed $3 million to Restore Our Future, a super PAC created with the express purpose of aiding Romney’s bid against then-President Barack Obama. While Romney was unsuccessful in his pursuit of the presidency, his career continued as he held a Senate seat from 2019 until 2025.
In addition to Scott, South Carolina’s other Republican senator, Lindsey Graham, has also drawn Ellison’s backing. Graham’s connection with Ellison became particularly visible in March of the current year, when Ellison donated $1 million to Security is Strength, a pro-Graham super PAC. Significantly, this represented Ellison’s most sizable publicly reported donation since 2022, coinciding with Graham’s efforts to secure reelection in the coming year. Ellison’s relationship with Graham was already established, having contributed $250,000 to the same organization back in 2020, during Graham’s previous reelection campaign.
While Republicans have clearly absorbed the bulk of Ellison’s considerable wealth, his history as a donor has not been restricted exclusively to figures on the political right. In earlier decades, he demonstrated a willingness to cross party lines. Federal Election Commission records confirm that in the 1990s Ellison directed a total of $120,000 in contributions toward the Democratic National Committee, particularly during the era when President Bill Clinton dominated the party. Ellison went so far as to remark publicly in 2000 that the U.S. Constitution should have been altered to permit Clinton an unprecedented third presidential term, illustrating his admiration for the Democratic leader during that period.
Even beyond these more prominent politicians, Ellison’s charitable spending on political causes has extended widely. For example, in 2020 he donated $1 million each to outside groups supporting Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine and Republican candidate John James of Michigan. Later, in 2022, he once again intervened in the electoral process by putting $1 million into a super PAC that played an active role in a Republican House primary race in Tennessee. These contributions confirm that Ellison is willing not only to support presidential or senatorial candidates but also to shape outcomes in lower-profile yet strategically significant contests.
Taken together, Ellison’s pattern of giving paints a clear picture: while he has occasionally deviated from the Republican Party to support Democrats, particularly in the 1990s, his activities over the past two decades have leaned heavily toward strengthening Republican figures and institutions. His actions highlight the role that immense personal wealth can play in influencing the U.S. political system, raising ongoing questions about the intersection of economic power, political ideology, and democratic governance.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/larry-ellison-richest-man-backed-politicians-2025-9
